


Trials and Tributes

by TundrainAfrica



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Medieval, F/M, Historical References, Mystery, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:35:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28314645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TundrainAfrica/pseuds/TundrainAfrica
Summary: "There were witches who lived among them. Or so that's what Levi was told. He just could not believe for the life of him that she'd be one of them."Levi is a soldier who interrogates witches before they are put on trial and Hange might just be a witch.Levihan Secret Santa Gift for @cleacourgette
Relationships: Levi & Erwin Smith, Levi/Hange Zoë
Comments: 51
Kudos: 112
Collections: Multichapter Fics (Tundrainafrica), Tumblr Prompts and Oneshots (Tundrainafrica)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is incredibly early but I did the whole draft and I expect five chapters when I'm done with this and it just felt weird releasing them all at once. And I wanted to post something on Christmas day too coz it is a Secret Santa. I did the math and realized if I follow a posting schedule, I could get all the chapters out by January 10 or the last day of Levihan week so that's the plan. 
> 
> About the story...
> 
> Although I did some research on this, I don't think I would have been able to pull this story off without taking some liberties on my end history-wise. If you've read rangers apprentice, you might find some slight Easter eggs here since I based a lot of the medieval setting from medieval fiction more than actual medieval history. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this though! @cleacourgette

There were witches who lived among them. Or so that was what Levi was told. 

Their powers manifested in the occasional droughts, the famines and most notably for Levi the plague that had taken his mother from him. That plague and the aftermath was what had him moving into a cabin with his uncle at the tender age of eight and training to be an assassin. 

Having lived most of his young life in that small cabin, as a kid, Levi was never really able to pinpoint when exactly humanity decided to fight back against the witches. A few times his uncle had brought him to the square to watch the trials which usually ended with a witch being burned at stake or being thrown into the sea. 

As a child, he had felt his gut clench watching the desperate faces of the women tied to the stake as the flames licked at them for a few minutes before they started to consume them alive. By the time the flames did morph into a carnivorous tiger ready to devour its prey alive, Levi would look away--- every single time.

That was more than a decade ago. Levi had seen more than enough trials and the crimes the women were accused of and the angry fathers and the crying mothers who broke down while they testified the crimes were more than enough for Levi to understand the need for retribution and King Fritz’s declaration to rid the word of witches. 

They were responsible for the plague that had taken the first son of the parents, the child that had wandered into the forest and was eaten by a boar and the crop shortage in one village that had caused their downfall. 

As the king’s right hand man and most trusted soldier, Levi stood at every single trial and every single execution. Compared to back when he was a kid, he at least had the stomach to look the witch in the face every time. His heart still clenched as he had made eye contact with them or caught the moment their eyes went dark as the flames consumed them. 

_It could just be their powers._ If the witches had the power to start plagues and cause chaos in villages then they probably had the power to manipulate hearts too. Levi had to remind himself of just that every time he tasted that bitterness in his mouth that was unique to the experience of watching a witch be executed. 

It was a painful scene to watch every single time, only leaving Levi mentally exhausted and so mentally distraught that he would have preferred to have spent the day shooting a thousand arrows with the hardest bow or to do a thousand swings with the heaviest sword in the weaponry. 

Instead of closing his heart to them though, he ended up doing the complete opposite. 

He made sure to see a human in every single one of them. Willing himself to see it was a small, personal yet excruciatingly painful challenge Levi forced on himself every time. The more he allowed himself to sympathize, the more he would be able to get to know himself and his emotions and consequently the better he’d be able to stop himself from being manipulated when it mattered.

It was a lesson on mental constitution and loyalty towards his cause. Levi was determined to stand for it, unwavering. Levi found himself talking to them before they stood on trial, learning their back stories. Some had gone crazy denying accusations and even attacking him. Others had just laughed it off. Others have even remained catatonic.

Levi had become familiar with the many ways witches handled the accusations and the impending trial. The sights and sounds of witches and the way they had all handled their impending trials were all gut wrenching but routine. And routine was the only reason why Levi was able to stop himself from planning an escape route for every one of them.

Routines---like rules and all other things--- are meant to be broken and for most people, will be broken eventually. For Levi, it was broken when he entered that same interrogation room to catch a whiff of **_that_** scent. Levi had relied so easily on the sights and sounds, on the tears on the witches’ faces and their desperate final screams. Nothing had prepared him for the way witches could smell and the faint scent she had exuded as he entered the room. It only left Levi a little taken aback and maybe a little vulnerable. 

Others would have probably described it as flowery. To others it would have been fruity. 

To Levi, those two scents were just too intertwined. If he did have to sum it up into one word, he would have just said ‘different’. It was fruity. Yet it was also flowery. The most glaring part about that scent though was the way it chilled the air closest to him. It entered his nostrils as a cool wind every time and even during the hottest days of summer, it would be winter in his nostrils. It was cold yet it smelled of late spring and early summer. So unnatural. So unique. Maybe that was what made it easy for Levi to connect that scent to one from some buried memory long ago. 

Even before he took in the unkempt brown hair hastily tied up and those hazel eyes as they looked up at him, just by her scent, Levi knew for sure who it was and where they had met.

 _But why is she here?_ Levi thought to himself as he made eye contact with her. 

“You sure she’s a witch?”

“She was captured in your hometown sir. In the nearby woods.” 

“That doesn’t answer the question.” _Of course she’d be there. That’s where I found her so many years ago. That’s where I fucking grew up._

The guard tensed up. “Sincerest apologies Mr. Ackerman. I don’t know the exact details. They will be made public in the trial.” 

“Give us time and space then. I’ll ask her myself.” 

“But sir, you mustn't stay too near. She might hex you.”

“And I’m willing to take that risk,” Levi said tersely as he settled himself on the seat in front of her. 

“Sir, you’re our best weapon in the army. We ca--”

“It’s an order.”

The guard may have been a few years older than Levi. The latter had proven himself to be a competent fighter on multiple occasions, putting himself in a rank much higher above most of the soldiers. He never took advantage of it. Until that moment. Somehow, it felt like it was a risk worth taking. 

Her face had matured yet the glint of mischief and wonder in her eyes had remained. He took in the view in front of him and indulged in the wave of nostalgia that came with it. 

"Is the herb garden still there? Did you finally put borders around it so people wouldn’t mistake it for weeds?" He started with questions only she would have answered correctly. 

* * *

Levi carefully trudged through the soil. The boots Kenny had given him actually worked to mask the sound of foot rubbing on earth and the spray of the sun as he did. It wasn’t enough though, the grass seemed particularly eager to announce the entrance of any human who stepped on them. 

With every blade of grass he stepped on, he was probably killing more of them. It’s only natural that anyone would want their murderer caught red-handed. 

Imagining the grass beneath him at least had some sentience was a small thought Levi decided to play with, having gotten tired of doing the same drills alone everyday since Kenny had left a week ago for a mission. 

At that point, Levi was still learning to stay silent. The cloak he was given did a good job giving a base at which to work with. In the end though, it was only the weapon. A weapon is only as valuable as its user and while Levi still struggled to master the art of silent movement, the cloak can only be too valuable too. 

The change was gradual but from the short patches of grass, Levi found himself entering an area where the grass shot up closer to his shins. The longer the grass was, the more challenging it would be to breeze through it silently. There was just more area for the grass to brush against, rustling and consequently making the sounds Levi had so wanted to avoid. 

He had made at least a few feet, completely satisfied by the fact that he had not made an embarrassingly loud rustle just yet. 

Just yet. Maybe he had been a little too careless or a little too excited. Maybe for a second he had been so into his little daydreams about grass being obsessed with justice that he had failed to notice the rustles, then the angry footsteps. It was only when the warm air was right on his neck did he realize he had been the one who had failed to notice that he was still very loud. 

“Hey! Get off my herb garden!”

* * *

“No. I’m not putting them in cages.” 

_I want them to grow freely. Putting up borders makes them look like caged animals._ She had explained before that putting up fences and borders around plants had only made her heart hurt similarly for them as she had done for the many animals she’d seen in cages as a kid. 

_Witches were evil. All they caused were chaos, death, destruction._ They were all in the testimonies he had watched so many times before. The proclamations by King Fritz.

Levi could not believe that someone with that much empathy for anything living could be what she was being arrested for. 

_Why did they arrest you?_ He’d find out the reason soon enough during the trial. 

“What were you doing when they arrested you?” It was a question with an answer which was so commonly and easily twisted by the guards assigned to catch the witches that Levi always felt it so necessary to ask it to them directly 

“I was in my cabin, mixing poultices and potions.” 

_My cabin._ Somehow, the way she had said it brought Levi back to that isolated cabin in the woods he would visit when Kenny wasn’t home. He lived a little too far from the town square and had been swamped with combat training. He had craved for some company, ideally someone his age and she who lived in that little cabin surrounded by herbs had been the only one he could turn to.

“Poultices and potions for what?”

“Healing."

"Healing who?" 

"The townspeople." 

Levi smiled. “Why am I not surprised that you got into that type of work.” 

_Of course, she has always been good at that._

* * *

“And this is why you shouldn’t be using a bow and arrow for that long.” 

Levi bit his lip and looked away. The last thing he had wanted her to see was the tears he was fighting to keep in, just in case they did come out. He had had enough cuts, injuries and even close calls with death to know how many ways the body can get fucked over by nature and man made objects. Blisters ranked up there among the most painful wounds and stubbing one’s toe. 

She was gentle though when she had wrapped the bandages. The poultice she had put on his blisters surprisingly did not sting. In fact within minutes, the stinging pain had calmed into something dull and easily forgettable. 

“Did you make it yourself?” Levi observed more closely the interior of the cabin. There were glass bottles lined up on the wall with different liquids and preserved matter in them. He had been there many times already but it was only then, as he finally got to experience the healing powers of the liquids first hand did he really allow himself a good look at the room. 

So many poultices and potions were lining the walls yet Levi had never seen anyone else in the cabin. He eventually figured out that was the only logical explanation. He was sure though she was only early into her teenage years, just like he was. 

“Yes. I made everything here myself,” She answered, only confirming his suspicion.

“For what?” 

“For fun. What else is there to do here?” 

_Share it to the world._ Levi had wanted to say. He kept it to himself though. The way her face darkened as she asked that question only made Levi think that it was something he shouldn’t pry on her. When he did think about it, someone as friendly as her would not have lived in isolation against her will. Something must have happened. 

“So what happens to the poultices you make?” 

“They just sit here and when they go bad, I throw them away.” 

Levi felt a second hand pain at the thought of wasting such effective ingredients. “Would you mind if I came back here more? So at least someone could use them?”

She beamed. “I would honestly love it if you did.” 

* * *

“You look like you’ve grown since then,” she gave him a naughty smile. “Maybe an inch?” 

“Watch your mouth. You’ll be going on trial soon,” Levi said sternly. He knew the smile which so naturally crept up his lips betrayed the tone of his voice. She had made that same joke many times before. 

“I meant you’ve changed,” she clarified. 

“Of course, I have. How long has it been? Ten years?”

“Wow? That long? I’ve waited for you that long?” Her eyes widened in surprise. The brunette stood up and slammed her hands on the table. It was loud and maybe the way she stared at him and slammed her feet on the table was a little chaotic. They had dealt with crazier witches though and the guards did not even bother to peek in. 

Levi bit his lip, quelling the guilt inside him. He still remembered, he did promise her they’d meet again. _I mean, we did meet again right?_ Levi thought wryly to himself as he considered the circumstances of their reunion. He had considered visiting a long time before. But the three day walk or the one day carriage ride just did not seem worth it, especially since he had gotten busier with work. 

“You said you’d be back. I had faith we’d meet again. I just didn’t think we’d meet like this.” 

* * *

His uncle Kenny had been missing for over two years. He should have seen it coming. His uncle had said so himself multiple times, he was not fit to be a father. 

The one thing that had made the isolation all the more bearable was the cabin only a ten minute walk away. They had gotten closer over time and Levi started to feel more and more at home when he’d stop by after a long day of training to get his cuts and blisters treated.

Every month, he would still make the long trek to the nearest town once or twice. That was where the opportunity to enlist in the king’s army made itself known to him. They had sold the idea as one for glory, for money. Levi saw it as something else. 

The training his uncle had given him from sneaking skills, archery skills, knife throwing and combat skills had to have been for something. As the town crier stood on his platform announcing the call for manpower for the next war, Levi’s mind was racing. Maybe it was an opportunity to find his uncle. Maybe it would be a good chance to see the world. Maybe it was a way to find out the origins of the witches that took his mother away from him so many years ago. 

He knew though, to answer the many questions running through his head, he had to find a way out of their small village. The easiest way lay in front of him as King’s army enlistment. The town crier prattled on about free transportation, free weapons, free training and the opportunity to live a life of luxury in the capital but Levi did not listen. He had already made his decision.

“So you’ve finally decided to leave huh?” She didn’t bother to hide the disappointment on her face as she placed a mug of tea in front of him. 

“There are just some questions I need answered. Can’t do it here.” 

“Yeah, should have known. Nobody would want to live in a cabin in the woods their whole lives.”

“Why don’t you go with me?” 

“I’ve told you before. I can’t leave.” She avoided his gaze. _Why had she never left the woods?_ He had asked that question so many times before, only for the conversation to shift elsewhere. 

“You’ll come back though right?”

“Of course. I grew up here. This is still my home.” 

“Then I’ll wait.” She went towards the cupboards, took something out, walked back to him and pressed it on his palm. 

Levi could only stare. 

“Why do you look so dumbstruck? It’s a poultice.” She explained. “You’ve tried everything else I’ve made. Now that I think about it, maybe that’s why your aim is so good now.” She noted playfully. 

Levi had to nod as she said that. Ever since he had started taking her potions and applying her poultices, he improved remarkably as a fighter. “What’s this one for though?” 

“It can soothe pain, sores. I thought you’d need it fighting a war.” 

He only needed to open the bag slightly for the scent to waft out and fill the room.

“It’s pretty strong so you’ll only need a pinch every time you’re injured,” She said as she pulled the drawstring bag closed again. She was too late though. The strong scent had already settled in the air. “It’s my favorite. Definitely the one I’m most proud of. And you can get a free refill when you come back. Maybe I can even make a better one.” She smiled ruefully. “You promise you’ll be back though right?”

“Promise.” 

* * *

The room had smelled just like the poultice when he had closed the door on her. That was the one poultice that saw him through the two year war, then three more years working for the military. Maybe that was why at that moment when he laid eyes on her in the interrogation room, it had brought him such a wave of nostalgia, making him recognize her almost instantly.

“Did something happen?” His superior asked within a second of Levi entering his office. It was just like Erwin to know something was not routine at first glance.

“Hm?” 

“This last visit to the prison took you longer than usual. And you seemed a little distracted when you entered my office.” 

Levi looked out the window. The sun was far past the horizon already and the sky was too dark to even make out shapes against it. The prison was underground so it was a little more difficult to notice the passage of time there. He couldn’t help but note though that that _was_ the first time he had come out of there to see that it was dark outside. 

“That's what I wanted to talk to you about.” Levi had rehearsed his lines on the way up. Only the king would be able to give him permission to do what he wanted to do and the only person who could convince the king was his superior Erwin. He trusted Erwin but from his eyes, his request seemed so out of character, he could not even predict how Erwin would react. With Erwin’s comment though, he had given Levi a good opening to ask.

 _I_ _t’s now or never._ “I want to handle the trials of the witch I met in the prison today. The one who came from my hometown.”

“Hange Zoe?” 

_That was her whole name?_ Years ago, he had only ever called her by her first name Hange. He had even forgotten her first name for a while. During the meeting, he had been so focused on how they had both changed, the promise he had failed to meet and the circumstances of their reunion. As his mind raced trying to process that piece of crucial information, Levi could manage a nod.

“I guessed there might have been something between you too. Your hometown was a pretty small place.” Just like Erwin to be a little sharper. “Also, this is strange. You never really wanted to get involved in the actual trials and executions. Until now.”

Levi was trusted enough by the king and the military for his presence to always be requested in every trial and every burning. Every trial had left his chest a little heavier and his mouth a little more bitter-tasting. Erwin had at least noticed that enough to never request Levi to be there to facilitate it. 

Regardless of his lack of history with any of those witches who had gone on trial, a heavy chest and a bitter taste in his mouth were always present, maybe they were even just the bare minimum of what he had felt. 

Compared to many of the others he had interrogated though, he had a history with that Hange Zoe. Levi knew he would be taking a risk. “She might just be the witch who was responsible for my mother’s death. I want to be there in the frontlines when justice is served,” he answered.

And that was a risk he was willing to take. 


	2. Chapter 2

_“When there’s no moon in the sky, please don’t visit my cabin.”_

_“Why?”_

_“One day, I promise I’ll tell you.”_

And that one day never did come. She never did tell him. 

As Levi watched the court proceedings, he couldn’t help but think that maybe she would never be able to keep that promise of telling him herself. The trial would pull the answers out of her, the bishop in charge of interrogation in front of the high court would twist into something more digestible for the public, the crowds that filled the large trial room. 

Although Levi had a seat near the front of the room. The acoustics of the room and the murmurs around him made it difficult to hear Hange's voice from where he stood. 

“Hange Zoe, youngest daughter of the Baron Zoe. Or at least, that was what we had tortured out of our late baron.”

If Levi had not been trained in the art of keeping calm at the thought of blood, he probably would have had to stifle a wince. He was present when the whole Zoe family was brought in for interrogation only a few days ago. They were quickly deemed traitors, accomplices to the witches, tortured then put to death. 

_But Hange hadn’t even been proven a witch yet._ Levi was sure there were at least political motivations in that impulsive decision to put the family to death. He had stumbled upon some hearsay that within a few days of their capture, a new noble family moved into their manor. The capture of Hange was only the nail on the coffin. A fair catalyst to a usurpation of power. A motivation that Levi _almost_ found valid, but not at all anything worth admiring.

“It turned out Baron Zoe had been hiding a witch in his family. Why he had decided to take one in? Or how he had he raised her to become a servant to the devil. We do not know.” 

_I swear! She’s my daughter! And she’s not a witch!_ He had sworn that until his death. That was what Levi witnessed at least as he forced himself to watch the tortures and executions done in private. Human executions were too grand and expensive of a festivity. Of course they would save their budget for the youngest adopted daughter who was suspected of witchcraft. 

Levi did not think she was adopted though. He had seen those hazel eyes enough times. Her father’s were the exact same shape as hers, the nose curled the same way. If Hange really was a witch, then maybe the witches from a young age were powerful enough to take whatever appearance pleases them. Or maybe she had sworn allegiance to the devil years after. 

Or that was what they were discussing as Levi pondered it. To a degree, Levi could not help but doubt even his own assumptions. If witches were that powerful, why did all of them so easily die when they were burnt at stake. Why did so many of them drown as they were thrown into the sea?

“According to the results of the interrogation, Hange Zoe disappeared at the age of eight, right after she got involved in the murder of a child her age.” 

There were loud murmurs coming from the crowds behind him, a few gasps. _A murder at the age of eight?_

“We thought a witch had kidnapped her then. It might just have been an awakening of her powers since soon after she disappeared, the plague happened. Many children lost parents, many parents have lost kids but isn’t it weird that the Zoe family didn’t lose anyone but their murderous child who turned out to be alive decades after? Coincidence? I think not.” 

Despite identifying as one of the kids who had lost their parents during the plague in question, Levi strangly found himself coming up with an argument against that accusation. The Zoe family was rich. They lived in a ten hectare parcel of land, a fifteen minute carriage ride to the main square. They had servants to go shopping for them and access to the best doctors. Of course they wouldn’t have experienced as many losses as the common people. It applied to any noble family. Levi only had to look at Erwin next to him to guess that he was probably thinking the same thing. 

They called a witness to the stand. Levi quickly refocused his eyes to the center of the room when the crowd went silent, watching a burly man make his way to the table designated for witnesses. 

He was introduced as a pub owner and praised for taking the long trip to the capital to tell his story. The praises and exaltations only continued from there. “This man over here had the courage to step forward and report the witch who had been hiding in their small town.” The bishop announced as the pub owner slowly made his way to the stand. 

_Courage? That was definitely not the right word._ The man did not look at all terrified to be on the witness stand. In fact, he had looked proud. His dinner jacket and his coat were luxuries that were completely non existent in the small town he had come from. Levi couldn't help but suspect bribery was involved.

He allowed himself a glance at Hange. Hange was looking at the man on the witness stand, her face a mixture of confusion, recognition and something else. That something else on her face only made his stomach twist tighter into a knot. 

With the abundance of stimuli to take in as the courtroom exploded into murmurs, Levi only found it more difficult to comprehend that nagging feeling in his stomach. He turned to the witness, leaving to them the responsibility of giving him the answers he needed.

“More than a decade ago, an apothecary opened up in a cabin in the woods, a thirty minute walk from the center of town. Despite its humble beginnings, it amassed quite a reputation. Soon everyone in town knew about the doctor who can cure any illness. Even townspeople from the neighboring towns would make the journey to her clinic for healing."

“And you were one of them?” 

“Yes,” he admitted. “But I had no choice your Grace, there was a disease going around the village which caused watery stool. I had gone to other doctors first but none of them were able to cure it or trace the cause. I’m sure you would understand a father’s love for their son, being so close to the Lord our Father yourself.” 

“A father’s love for the son cannot be quantified. I understand the desperation which may have caused you to dabble into witchcraft. Your sins and the sins of the townspeople are pardoned. You mustered up the courage to turn her in after all.”

The man nodded gratefully. “When I arrived in the small cabin in the woods, I recognized that voice and those eyes almost instantly. The way she spoke, you only see that confidence among the nobility and those eyes… Those were the hazel eyes of a Zoe. But the Zoes lived on their own land far from the woods. I only had to take a closer look though to realize that she was the missing Zoe. The murderer who killed poor Tommy more than a decade ago.”

A chunk of the room gasped. 

_Of course, put a name on the victim and suddenly everybody sympathizes. Was the name of the victim even Tommy?_ Levi had heard enough hearsay wandering around town to know it probably wasn’t Tommy. He looked to Hange to see her face was unreadable with maybe a hint of confusion and as Levi looked a little closer, he finally figured out what it was. 

_Betrayal._

“Didn’t she cure your son?” The bishop asked as he read through what could have been records, maybe from interviews from others around the town. 

“She did cure my son. And she was able to diagnose the disease and trace the cause to one of the wells in town. It turned out he had an unfortunate case of er… dysentery.”

“There were numerous cases of dysentery around your hometown only recently apparently.” The bishop continued. “And it was traced to the well in the middle of the square. It was Hange who reported it to the officials.” 

“Definitely an attempt to wash her own hands of sins and to gain the goodwill of the people, good sir. To a lot of people in the town, she was a miracle worker but mind you, with that level of skill with medicine, chemicals and diseases, she can’t be human. How do we know she didn’t start the plague for her own selfish reasons? Only the one who started it could have known it came from the well.” 

_Because she isn’t selfish._ Levi just knew. In fact, he was sure she would have done all that out of the goodness of her heart. 

Levi only ended up questioning his memories of Hange as the crowd exploded into boos and jeers all directed at the brunette in the middle of the room. The latter had bowed her head and Levi was left having to imagine what she might have felt at that moment.

The crowd mentality was apparent among those in the room. Others were starting to pelt things at Hange, pieces of trash and stone. Levi couldn’t help but be grateful for the guard that had quickly escorted her out of the room when some of the trash started to meet their target. 

“I smell politics,” Erwin commented. 

Levi felt a wave of relief come through him with Erwin’s words. The crowds had only made him question his own memories and his own emotions. _Was he supposed to be as angry or as terrified as them?_ He never had been towards any of the witches. The emotions he had felt towards Hange, definitely influenced by their history together resonated much stronger and were fighting for more control than Levi would have wanted to give. 

At that moment, when Erwin, the one person in the army he trusted and looked up to, validated his problematic thoughts, Levi was quick to let it consume him further. 

Just like with the many witches he had interrogated, Levi somehow knew they were just as much of a victim as everyone else. 

Maybe Hange was just another victim. 

* * *

Levi took a sip of the tea she had served him. The herbs were fresh from the herb garden she kept. 

She had a way of mixing the leaves to make the aroma linger on his nose. The tea she served varied depending on what was blooming, what was in season. She always picked the strongest herbs with consequently the most distinct aromas. Even the smallest sip, had his whole mouth exploding in aromas of what could have been fruits or flowers. Her skill with mixing had made him sharper when it came to tastes and scents and Levi was sure he would only be enjoying more tea in the years to come.

“What are **your** plans?” Levi asked, an attempt at conversation. Hange had been oddly quiet since he started to express his interest in army recruitment.

Hange shook her head. “No plans. I don’t know how long I’m gonna have to stay here.”

“Fine, but if you could leave. What would you do first?”

Hange played with the mug on her hand. A small smile creeped up her lips. As Levi looked closely though, he could see her eyes were far from smiling. It was a look of pained yearning. _Why can’t you go out?_ He had asked that so many times before only for her to digress.

She shrugged. “I wanna see more people… Meet new people, make friends, learn from them.” 

“Maybe you can start with the townspeople?” Levi said. She had mentioned before, she never went to the town, for reasons.

“Maybe when things calm down, I’ll start an apothecary," Hange said. "You know, working with you has made me realize something.” 

“What?” 

“Maybe I can help people and I think that’s what I want to do.”

* * *

“What happened when you were eight years old?” 

Levi did not waste any time as he entered the room. He was relieved to see that none of the trash had hit her hard enough to wound her. She was unharmed, save for a few scratches. 

“I never did tell you huh?” 

Levi had hoped that she would deny it. All he saw in her eyes though was a brief realization at that particular omission. _Was she really a murderer? A witch?_

“We’ve known each other for years but you never told me anything about your childhood.”

“I thought you’d come back and I thought maybe I could tell you then when it was all over.” Hange smiled. Her look was accusing and Levi could tell what she had wanted to say just by her eyes. _Maybe if you came back you’d know._

“We’re here already. Just tell me. What happened?” 

Hange shrugged. “After I ‘murdered’ him?” She had put a little more emphasis into the word ‘murdered’ than what was necessary, her tone almost mocking. That was the word many of the people in the trial had used though. The circumstances of how the boy had died were left out of the records and only left a little more suspicious. “I started living in a cabin in the woods and then I met you.”

“Your full name is Hange Zoe?”

“My father is Baron Zoe.” 

“I would expect your parents would have been rich enough to cover for the murder of a peasant child.” 

“The circumstances of his death were strange. Strange enough that the townspeople had come together to organize a witch hunt. My parents had me live in a small cabin in the woods and forbade me from seeing anyone else at least until the hysteria ended. It was lonely but they did visit once a month to bring food… They’d sneak in when the nights were at their darkest…”

_“When there’s no moon in the sky, please don’t visit my cabin.”_

_“Why?”_

_“One day, I promise I’ll tell you.”_

Hange had started to ramble from there yet Levi’s thoughts were still a few steps behind. “What were the circumstances of the boy’s death?” He asked.

She shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “I don’t know. I never saw the body and no one told me about it.”

“But what happened to make them think you did it?” 

* * *

"I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to.” Teddy was already on his knees in embarrassment. “It was an accident!” 

“Yeah but my mom’s gonna give me a beating when she finds out I soiled my shoe. Maybe you should have watched where you were going!”

Hange winced as she watched Tobias kick the small boy in the stomach. “Can we go back to playing pirates now? You can just clean it yourself when you get home!” She had known for a long time that Tobias was a warmonger and had done her best since they first met to keep conflict at the minimum.

“What do you know Zoe? You have servants to wipe it off for you!”

“Well, what if I bring it home and have it washed for you?” Hange suggested. Tobias' eyes had seemed a little wild and it did nothing to placate the foreboding feeling that tickled her chest. She had to find a way to pacify him fast.”

“No. I want him to pay.” 

“He already apologized.” 

“I don’t accept words. I want actions.” Tobias said as he moved his foot a little closer to Teddy’s face. The latter was doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach. Hange couldn’t even tell if he was still conscious. 

That was until Tobias gave him a light kick on the face. “Clean it.” 

Teddy opened his eyes weakly and looked up at the owner of the shoe. “I’ll bring it to the nearby river now.” He had brought out his hand to remove the shoe from Tobias’ foot.

“No. Clean it with your mouth.” 

“Tobi. Stop!.” Hange screamed. A second later, she found herself looking back to see that the other boys were silent. For a few seconds she had wondered if she should stay silent too. Was that the right thing to do? 

That few seconds were more than enough though for Tobias to goad Teddy into sticking his tongue out and licking the soiled portion of his shoe. 

“Stop it!” Hange was only started to panic more, her heart started to beat wilder as she watched Tobias push the sole of his foot into Teddy’s face. 

“I…kan...gtttt.” _I can’t breathe._

Hange comprehended more than enough of the situation. “You’re killing him!” She looked back at the other boys who only stood by unmoving. WIthin seconds, Teddy had stopped struggling and Hange was only starting to realize that someone had to move or someone was going to die. 

_A bunch of cowards._ She muttered one ugly word at the boys behind her before she launched herself at Tobias.

His surprised face was priceless. Having been too preoccupied by it, Hange did not notice what was going on until it was too late.

It could have been anger or fear that had spurred her on. But alas, she had used too much of her strength. She had launched into the air, the two boys beneath her. She was flying from the dirt trodden path where they were playing their game of pirates only a second ago and into the grassy fields next to it.

A split second later Hange’s head was spinning as the impact of the fall shook her body.

She had little time though to process that though. Soon after the impact came a bloodcurdling scream. 

* * *

“A Bible Test?” Levi did not need to ask what it was. In fact, that wasn’t the question running through his head when the clergy had informed him of their next plan of action for Hange. He had to keep a straight face as they explained it, having decided for himself so long ago how incredibly archaic and maybe even pointless that test was. 

The priest nodded. “Yes. _The_ Bible Test,” he said so confidently that Levi was relieved he had concealed the judgement in his face so well.

“But isn’t a little too…” 

The priest continued to look at him expectantly.

 _Archaic? Prone to error?_ “Flawed…” Levi managed to say. “I mean she is an important prisoner to you.” 

“Yes she will be going through other tests as well. We just want to make sure of _everything._ ” The priest had said the word _everything_ with so much emphasis that Levi almost believed that they were actually messengers of the god they so enthusiastically preached about despite their numerous vices.

“So when will it be?” Levi asked.

“As soon as possible.”

‘As soon as possible’ came that evening, a few hours after the priest had called him to the office to discuss the next plan of action of the trials of Hange. It was a small ceremony with only a few priests to witness the event. Levi couldn’t help but note that it was more important then to keep a straight face with multiple pairs of clergy eyes eyeing him and the prisoner next to him. 

Hange was next to him at that moment though as he scanned the faces of the clergy members all lined up on their seats in front of him. He didn’t know whether to feel relieved though since their eyes were all trained on Hange. 

One of the guards guided Hange into one of the platforms of that large contraption that took up a huge chunk of the room. It wasn’t at all unfamiliar. Levi had seen the bible test in action so many times before. 

_If the Accused were weighed in Scales against a Bible, the Bible would prove too heavy for them_. Therefore, being lighter than the bible would prove that they were guilty. Or so, that’s what they had explained to him. Levi though had secretly tried that on himself a year ago, a way to cope with the guilt of silently watching a small woman receive a death sentence after she had weighed less than the largest bible in their library. 

Levi had turned out to be much lighter than that bible he had tested with then. _Unless I am a witch?_ It was a casual thought he allowed himself as he watched multiple servants haul a much larger bible into the room. The bible they carried might have even been twice the size of what Levi had weighed himself with years ago. He couldn’t help but think, the clergy had fixed the results of that test already. 

Hange looked a little confused as well as she watched the bible be hauled into the room in some sort of wagon. 

_Had no one explained to her what would happen?_ Levi had not time himself having had to deal with paperwork before the trial. When he did meet her in the trial room, all eyes were on Hange though and there was no time to discuss anything between themselves. 

The bishop rose to his feet as soon as the wagon was pushed to a halt next to the platform opposite Hange. 

“A servant of the devil should not be able to take the weight of God’s words...” 

_Blah blah blah._ Levi had heard that same speech before. His eyes were on Hange though who had started to grip more tightly the ropes that connected the platform to the beam on top of the weighing scale. She had started to understand as well what they were planning on doing. 

Through experience, Levi knew already that no person they had ever put on trial could ever be prepared enough for that moment when the large bible is dropped on the platform opposite them. Hange was no exception. Although there was the determination in her eyes and maybe the defiance at the system that made that trial possible, it was quick to be replaced by surprise and maybe fear as she faltered when the scale rose and rocked beneath her. She was only held together by the ropes she had held on to so tightly. 

“So it looks like she is a witch.” One of the clergymen said, looking too satisfied with the conclusion.

The clergymen converged in their seats and from where he stood, Levi could make out some of their conversation. 

_Pricking Tests. Swimming Tests. Ducking Stools. Burning at Stake._

He had seen them more than enough times to picture how they would go about so accurately. Just imagining Hange’s face in the stead of the many others that had gone before her only made Levi’s stomach turn. He was sure he wouldn’t want to watch Hange go through that.

“Just a suggestion, your grace,” Levi said as he closed in on their congregation. “Since we’re already here and we have a bible in front of us _,_ would it be possible for us to try the prayer test?”

* * *

Hange liked reading. When she wasn’t talking to him, she was usually focused on her experiments or a good book. Levi had let her be more often than not, having seen the way she made the goofiest smiles or the most crestfallen faces as she stared at pieces of paper. It was entertaining enough at least. 

“Hey, why are you smiling?” Levi asked. Her smile at that moment was a little wider than usual and her face softened as her eyes followed the words on the page. 

“I was smiling?” The smile quickly disappeared as Hange looked up from her book, replaced by a look of astonishment and maybe confusion.

“You sometimes smile when you read.” Levi commented. 

“Well, there’s not much to do here. I don’t meet a lot of people, can’t go out so I guess i just get a little too invested in reading.” Hange explained, looking apologetic.

“I think it’s okay to smile,” Levi said, hoping that would be enough for Hange to relax. She had looked too tense since she looked up from her book. She continued to stare expectantly at him though. 

“What line were you just reading?” Levi asked, an attempt to get her to relax and look back at her book.

“It’s from Canterbury Tales.” 

Levi sat next to her and scooted near enough to have a good view of the line Hange was pointing at.

_For Goddes love, taak al in pacience_

_Oure prisoun, for it may noon oother be;_

_Fortune hath yeven us this adversitee._

_Som wikke aspect or disposicioun_

_Of Saturne, by sum constellacioun_

_Hath yeven us this, al though we hadde it sworn;_

_So stood the hevene, whan that we were born._

_We moste endure it, this the short and playn.'_

Hange started to read it aloud soon after.

“For a goddess’ love, talk all in patience

Our prison, for it may no one other be;

Fortune has given us this adversity.

Some weak aspect or disposition.

Of Saturne, by some constellation

Has given us this, although we had it sworn;

So stood the heaven, when that we were born.

We must endure it, this, the short and playing.”

* * *

Levi had heard her read aloud many times before. He was sure it was at least going to be a more accurate test than the bible test they had put her through just a second ago. 

_The accused will be made to recite the “Lord’s Prayer” without error – this included any stumbling, stammering, or outright spasming. As elocution is a painstaking art, it seems that any average human would slip up, but under “God’s eyes” mistakes are unacceptable._

Every single person he had watched who had taken the test had failed. It was just too easy to slip up with too many eyes boring down at you. When that one recitation could determine life and death, Levi had seen many of the accused witches go crazy on the spot, even before they could finish. He knew though, Hange was different. Hange never stuttered when she read, even when she had on the largest smile or the longest face. He had made her read aloud many times to know. 

She was guided to a table and the bible was placed in front of her.

“Matthew Chapter 6, Verse 9-13,” the bishop ordered. 

The servants carefully flipped through the pages of the old bible while Hange watched. Levi felt his heart race as he followed her eyes as they scanned the pages of the bible. Hange put her finger on one line and spoke: 

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

_And forgive us our trespasses.._

_And bring us not into temptation._

Levi listened closely to those parts in particular knowing the most common errors were made there. He had peeked at the congregation as those parts came up to see that the bishop had bent forward from his seat as if he too was focusing on Hange’s words.

She did beautifully and Levi was almost mesmerized to see the way she had read it aloud. She had timed the rests well, breezed through the words when she needed to. For a second, Levi could even imagine he was once again in the cabin, listening to her recount the words of Chaucer and the story of the knight. 

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

 _Trespasses._ A word so easily to stumble on but Hange had glided through those words as smoothly and as quickly as water striders on a shallow pond. 

Hange went silent after the last word, looking at the clergymen expectantly then at Levi. 

_She isn’t a witch._ Levi nodded in return, willing himself not to return the subtle smile she had given him. His heart only clenched though as she dropped the smile. 

_I’ll smile later. When it’s just the two of us._ He had hoped she at least got that messaged when he raised his eyebrows at her. With the way her hands shook from their place on top of the open bible, Levi was sure she didn’t. 

Or maybe she saw something else Levi could not see from his angle. 

He turned a little to the side, moving closer to Hange. From that angle at least he saw the serious face of the bishop and the way the bishop had raised an eyebrow at her, as if he were studying a fattened cow and picking the best place to slice it. 

“Too perfect. It was a trick of the Devil," the bishop concluded.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your comments :D. Will be posting the next one on Thursday then the last one on Saturday or Sunday night in preparation for the exchange. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy.

They were working late that night. So unusually late that at first, Levi had taken Erwin’s closing the windows as a sign that they should finish for the night. He had started to empty his own desk of paperwork when Erwin spoke up.

“How were the trials?”

“Routine.”

Erwin raised one eyebrow. “The trials for someone so important to you volunteered to facilitate it?”

“Yes, they concluded she was a witch and we’re moving on to the swimming test. It’s in two days.” Levi said as mechanically as possible, not wanting his true emotions to leak out.

“Do you really believe she was the one responsible for the plague in your village? The plague which took your mother I mean?” Erwin did not need to clarify it. Yet, he did and that clarification only made Levi's chest tighten.

“Who else? She murdered a child then she disappeared.”

“I visited Hange after her last trial, had a small chat with her.”

“Of course she wouldn’t admit it.”

“That wasn’t what I asked about. I wanted to understand for myself what happened with that incident back she was a child, when she was accused of murder.”

“She said herself, she didn’t know what happened to him.”

Erwin shook his head. “She didn’t know. But the other people from the town did.”

Levi’s eyes widened in surprise. Suddenly he was self conscious of his disconnect from the happenings of the town as a child. Although he was considered one of the townspeople then. Having had to take care of his sick mother, he never had the chance to go out and meet many people nor discuss what had been happening around the town.

“I checked the reports in the capital library. Tobias’ mother reported that she had found red welts on her son’s back when he got home from playing with the kids then his body started to swell. Within an hour, he started to have a hard time breathing. His throat closed and with no means of breathing, he passed away quickly.”

_The circumstances of his death were strange. Strange enough that the townspeople had come together to organize a witch hunt._

“They also recorded the accounts of the witnesses who were playing with Hange and Tobias that day. And when I checked them, they aligned well with the story Hange had given me. She pushed Tobias into a grassy patch. One of the boys who had been left there when Tobi and Hange both went home mentioned that they might have landed on a fire ant mound which explains the itchy red welts on Tobi’s back.”

Levi had been bitten enough times to know ant bites were painful. “But ant bites aren’t fatal.”

“This is where I did some extra research and talked to some more apothecary's and doctors. Apparently it is not completely implausible to infer that Tobias died from something called an allergic reaction. The swelling of his face, the difficulty breathing from an insect bite. It lines up so well with some of the other writings from doctors."

“Then how do you explain the plague?” Levi asked.

Erwin sighed. “I don’t think there’s any better way to tell you this but, I don’t believe the plague that killed your mother was caused by a witch. In fact, I don't believe witches actually exist.

* * *

“Levi, I have a theory.”

“You always have theories Hange,” Levi said, not looking up from the book he was reading.

“Humor me! That’s _my_ book so I can get it back from you anytime I want.” Hange put her hand on the page he was reading so suddenly and so rudely that Levi had to resist the urge to slam the book closed on her hands then and there.

“Okay. I’m humoring you," Levi said.

“So, lately I’ve been noticing something about my herb garden. There is a small area where plants tended to die at a faster rate.”

“Uhuh.”

“So I pulled out the dying plants and I noticed something common about all of them. They had these white spots all over the stems and the leaves. They were like spider webs but there were more webs then spiders and you know the plants closest to them started to have those white spots too.”

“Oh, okay so a little discoloration on leaves,” Levi said matter-of-factly.

“So what if those white things are diseases, and being closer to one another, they spread more easily. What if people stuck together in close quarters just end up getting sick with the same disease? Maybe there are these invisible particles that fly through the air and when they get into people, people get sick. Maybe there are special particles which can swim too and when people drink the water they get sick?

Levi went back to the reading as Hange continued to ramble on. Somehow her theory had become too far fetched, not worth the time of day to even listen to anymore

“Didn’t your mother die in a plague? What if those particles are what causes plagues? ”

* * *

Levi had to admit that at the moment Erwin had suggested that witches might not exist, he did not feel adamant at all or even indignant at that claim. A wave of relief had rushed through him and he found himself settling back down on the chair in shock, his plans to clear his desk forgotten.

“Hange traced the origin of the dysentery problem to the well at the center of town…” Levi said, mostly too himself. Suddenly the ramblings and the theories Hange had made years ago over tea and book readings were suddenly starting to make more sense. “Erwin, you might be right.”

Erwin and Levi found themselves making their way to the prison cell where Hange was being held to satisfy their own curiosity.

The guard was quick to leave as soon as Erwin and Levi entered. Levi stood by the door, keeping an ear open for any footsteps that might be coming too near, and might possibly hear their conversations.

It was his first time visiting her cell in days but he couldn’t help but notice she had lost weight since he last saw her. He made a mental note to sneak more food next time he came over.

“Hange, sorry to bother you but we have something we wanted to confirm with you,” Erwin started as he settled himself on a chair in front of her cell.

“Ask away. It’s not like I have anything better to do here.”

 _It’s not like I have anything better to do here._ Hange had repeated that line so many times back in the cabin in the woods. The way she had said it then though was softer and alarmingly toneless. Levi snuck a glance at her face or at least what he could make out from his angle. She had bent her head down, not bothering to look up at both him and Erwin. From what he could make out though, her eyes were downcast and the glint was nothing more than a flicker of what it used to be. At that moment, she looked completely disconsolate.

“How did you trace the diseases back to the well?” It was Erwin who spoke up. In that few seconds of silence, it was probably only Erwin who would have had the strength to start the conversation.

“The dysentery problem?” Hange asked.

Erwin nodded. “Yes. The one they discussed in your trial.” An unnecessary clarification but somehow, Levi felt it was needed, to fill the silence in the room and hopefully to get Hange to talk.

“I did my research,” Hange answered. “I was getting more than a dozen patients a day. I asked them where they lived… What they ate…” Hange trailed off.

Once again, the three all waited in silence. As they sat, Levi stood. And as Levi stood, he continued to entertain thoughts in his head. His mind was racing and it felt like it was only getting faster.

_Maybe there are these invisible particles that fly through the air and when they get into people, people get sick. Maybe there are special particles which can swim too and when people drink the water they get sick?_

“Hange, you told me long ago that you think there are these invisible particles in the air that can swim. And when people accidentally eat them they get sick. Is that what made you think that it could have come from the well in the center of town?”

Hange nodded.

“Do you think that the plague that happened when we were eight was from those same invisible particles?” Levi pressed.

She nodded again.

Erwin looked up at Levi in surprise. Levi remembered then that he never did tell Erwin that Hange was not an enemy but in fact, a childhood friend. Erwin was sharp though and within seconds that look of surprise had shifted to one of understanding. Levi did not need to explain anything.

“Levi, do you believe I’m a witch?”

That was the moment the survivor instinct inside of him decided to make itself known. _Witches can compel their victims. Witches can bewitch._ It was a battle between that part of him that resisted the urge to believe her and the part of him that wanted to accept her, to trust her.

 _Hell. We’ve known each other for years._ She hadn’t done anything then to break his trust. Actually, he was the one who had broken his promise years ago.

“I don’t know.” was all Levi could let out. Those two sides of him had settled for that as a compromise.

“I for one don’t believe in witchcraft,” Erwin admitted before Levi and Hange could react beyond Levi’s admittance of neutrality. “And I will do what I need to do to make these lynchings end. If I come across anything of interest, anything which can help your case, I’ll pass it on to you. Thank you for your cooperation Hange.”

With that, Erwin stood up and exited the room leaving Levi scrambling to pick up the pieces.

“Levi, let me ask you something.” Hange asked. “If I really were a witch, if I did have malevolent intentions, don’t you think I would have done something a long time ago already?”

_What if she did it all to manipulate me. What if she needs me for some end goal._

“Don’t get me wrong Hange. I feel compelled to help you and I probably will anyway,” Levi answered. “I just can’t discount the fact that this could be manipulation on your end.”

Hange looked up at him and for the first time that night, Levi saw her face for what it was. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were red and the lines under her eyes were only more defined than they were before. He only had a split second though to take in those features before they oriented themselves into a familiar expression he had come to know so well.

 _A simple, maybe even naive smile._ “If you believe you’re being manipulated, then I give you permission not to bend over back for me. I’m ready to die.”

That could have easily been interpreted as manipulation. As Hange said that, Levi only felt more determined to find a way to save her. He couldn’t help but note though the Hange he knew was straightforward and not at all manipulative. She had always said what she meant or so that was what he had believed.

Levi found himself questioning those voices in his head instead. Those voices that doubted Hange. _Maybe they were the ones manipulating me._

Levi gripped at the bars tightly and leaned closer towards her or as close as he could get at least when they were separated by prison bars “I don't know if this is all a game. If it is, you’re doing good because either way, I’m going to do what I can so you can make it out of this alive."

"Right after saying you believe I'm a witch?"

"You were my best friend. I owe you my younger years." Levi answered. " And as your best friend, I'll find a way out of this for you. And if I need to, I’ll take you out of this country, I’ll bring you down south."

* * *

It was a very cold night. So cold that Levi wished he could have put it off to another night. Given that Hange would be taking the swimming test the day after tomorrow, he knew he only had that night to test his plan for himself. 

As soon as the bible tests were over, Levi had been assigned to find a place to execute the swimming test. Even before he had visited Hange in the dungeon that night with Erwin, the gears in his mind had already been moving to keep Hange alive.

He had done his research from talking to the townspeople about bodies of water, geography and nearby hiding places for criminals. _For research._ He had said then. Nobody did ask too much of it. He was a soldier after all who kept the peace of their kingdom.

The time he had spent collecting information had given him options. The cost benefit analysis he did given those options was what led him to decide on one particular cliff that overlooked the sea only a thirty minute carriage ride from her prison. The locals had mentioned that it was a good area for cliff diving, the water was of a fair depth that it would be safe to dive.

 _And that’s what I have to see for myself._ It was going to be his job to push Hange into the water in less than 24 hours, the least he could do is try it himself.

It was a risky move. Especially when his cheeks were already turning numb from the cold. Levi had to admit he was probably risking his own life at that moment. As he removed his overcoat and the shirt underneath with the intention of diving into the water head first, Levi had to take multiple breaks. His body was protesting the action and the protest manifested itself as a light shudder every time the cool night breeze brushed passed him.

 _You’re bewitched._ Those voices reminded him. Levi did not need to listen though. Before he could even allow himself a second thought about his decision, before his body and his survival instincts could push him back, Levi jumped headfirst into the black sea below him.

It would be his sense of touch leading him from then on.

From the moment he hit the water and dove deeper, he allowed himself a few minutes with his hands behind his back to simulate what Hange would be going through. He counted thirty seconds and by then, his lungs were starting to ache. He reached his hands out in front of him, relying on his recall of his last view illuminated by the moonlight to guide him where he needed to go.

He turned behind him. _The cliff side should be here._ He kept his hands in front of him as he swam in the direction where the cliffside should be located. Within seconds he felt it. And with it came a glimmer of hope.

That hope was what he needed badly. His lungs were crying and he knew he would need air soon. He could have easily gone up and breathed it himself. He was constantly reminded though that Hange would not have that same luxury and he pressed on. Holding on to the side of the cliff, he continued to swim.

 _It should be around here._ His lungs were starting to scream and Levi knew he might not last any long. He started to scramble and move quicker. A generally bad idea when his oxygen and his time conscious was limited.

At that moment though, Levi had luck on his side. That empty space in between the cliffside was what he was looking for. Finding that gave him the second wind he needed. Levi only pushed further into the cavern. The path was narrow and consequently, quick and easy to feel his way through.

By the time Levi’s lungs were screaming once again, the energy from his second wind almost completely depleted, Levi had already made it into an open space and with his last burst of strength he shot his hand out above him.

It was as if a weight was lifted off of his shoulders both literally and figuratively. The air was much lighter on his body, especially on his lungs. Levi opened his eyes to see the moon above him.

The cave was generally closed, save for an opening on the roof that illuminated the cave enough for Levi to see where the sky and the walls of the cave meet. As Levi lay on the ground of the cave, he took in the view and focused on watching how the view shifted slightly with the rise and the fall of his chest.

The moon was beautiful. So beautiful that Levi almost considered spending the night in the cave despite the biting cold. _Biting?_ That wasn’t the right word. Numbing maybe.

 _Numbing_. That reminder of his own mortality and the possibility of death was what had Levi sit up and rush out of the cave, despite his subdued sense of touch.

He had to get out of there. He had to stay alive. He still had a job to finish.

* * *

_The water shall refuse to receive in her bosom those who have shaken off the sacred water of baptism._

In the easiest of words, if Hange were to be proven innocent and completely human, she had to drown. That was how they had explained it to the multiple witch suspects that have died similarly.

“If you do drown, your place in heaven _is_ guaranteed” The bishop had said, as he explained the history of that trial to the crowd who had gathered by the cliff. Levi kept himself looking only towards Hange who stood next to him while the priest prattled on about their ‘guaranteed heaven.’ Those were the same people who had sold indulgences and places in heaven to the nobility long before.

He had never seen heaven. He had seen scams in action though and somehow that and his own generally negative opinion of the clergymen was all he needed to feel such a distaste for their actions.

Hange was in light garments despite the cool breeze that came with early spring. Levi wore something similar in the form of a cotton shirt and dress pants, a subtle gesture of solidarity on his end.

 _Hange Zoe_. He only found himself looking back at the crowd and at the person in question when her name was mentioned. What followed the announcement of her names were cheers. But Levi knew it wasn’t anything to celebrate for him.

The crowd wanted to see blood. A potato sack was placed on the ground next to Hange and Levi felt his stomach drop as he started to comprehend the risk that came with his plan. Although he had simulated that same escape the night before, Hange would be faced with the extra challenge of cutting through the ropes and the sack before being able to dive and escape to the cave.

To balance it out at least, he had fed her as much information as he possibly could.

_When you feel the wall in front of you, keep going left._

_Dive when you feel the cliff turn rougher._

_You’re going to have to dive down deep to find it._

Levi had racked his head for as much detail as he could as he oriented Hange to the location of the sea cave.

_I’ll meet you there at night when it gets dark. I’ll send food. Then just stay in the cave until I can fix your papers and find you a way out of here._

While he helped Hange into the potato sack, he searched for an opening to dig his small dagger in between the tightly woven ropes, in preparation for their plan. As soon as he did, Hange touched the dull part of the blade with her fingers and tapped the side of his finger, a small gesture that she had understood what needed to do. The quick tap was somehow reassuring.

 _Good luck. Stay alive._ He mouthed. She wouldn’t have heard it but he had not wanted to risk anything louder than that. Even with the deafening cheers of the crowd. Levi pulled the sack over her with the help of one of the guards. He had no time to even allow himself one last look at the knife digging into the ropes. He could not risk anyone finding it.

The other guard had offered to help Levi throw the sack over the cliff but Levi declined. He didn’t even trust himself to throw over the cliff. How could he trust anyone else. Hange wasn’t heavy though. In fact, Levi was sure he had carried weapons much heavier and had shot arrows with draw weights much heavier than her.

Yet, her weight was crushing him and Levi felt his arms going numb underneath him as he carried the sack towards the edge of the cliff.

The sack was warm, a little too warm. The contents of the sack reacted to every moment. As much as Levi had wanted to pretend that it was just a sack of potatoes or maybe even a dead body. He couldn’t. He closed his eyes for a second and had somehow felt a heartbeat beneath that potato sack. It was a little too fast and maybe even deafening.

_Hange. That’s Hange. I’m holding Hange in my arms._

At that rate, Levi could not even tell if it was his own heart or hers. _Will this work out? Will this be the last time I hear that heartbeat?_

There was no turning back.

“Heave…” Levi pulled the sack behind him to gather some moment.

The heartbeat evolved from a canter to a gallop as he felt the strength quickly spread through his arms. He remembered then, he had an obligation to moderate his strength as well. He didn’t want her landing too far from the cliff either or worse, get seriously hurt on impact.

“Ho!” Levi threw the sack forward, slowing down as he did. All he needed to do was make sure the sack covered enough distance that she wouldn’t hit the cliffside prematurely

It was as if time slowed down when Levi found himself in a good position to let go of the sack. He had found himself peeling his hand from the sack, finger by finger. The heartbeat he had felt in the sack, the warmth were like the threads of a spider web, sticking to him so tenaciously, so desperately.

He didn’t want to let go.

* * *

“Wow! I didn’t think there would be this many types of knives. I’ve only ever played with a letter opener.”

“Don’t you have knives around here? How do you do research without them?” Levi asked half heartedly as he continued to polish his saxe knife.

“Well, I make my own. You don’t really need anything too sharp to be able to cut up leaves. Sometimes you can just do it like this.” Hange tore one of the oregano leaves a little more roughly to make her point.

“Well, fighting gets a little complicated apparently.” Levi positioned his knife in front of the window of the cabin and watched as the silver glistened under the sunlight that streamed through the window. “Uncle said this knife is strong enough to parry the blow of a sword. If you can control it…” Just imagining a sword coming down on a knife only a quarter of the size of a sword had Levi shuddering. One miscalculated movement and he could find himself three less fingers.

“Learning to use weapons takes time. And I doubt your uncle is gonna make you fight a swordsman just yet.”

“My uncle said he’ll teach the technique. I just have to do the drills he gives me everyday.”

Hange clumsily spun Levi’s throwing knife in her hand only to end up dropping it on the floor. She let out a disappointed sigh. “Hey Levi, after your uncle teaches you, can you teach me? I wanna learn how to handle a knife too.”

* * *

The sack they had pulled out of the water was stained red. And that blood stain covered half the sack.

While the clergymen and the guards were panicking at the missing body. Levi was alarmed for other reasons. _Was she alive? Did she make it out safely?_

He had hope for the luxury of letting out a tear, or rushing to the side of the cliff, kneeling down and looking closely at the water to maybe search for signs of life like a mad man. It would only be unwise to do such. The most he could allow himself was a catatonic state and maybe a twinge of envy at the clergymen who had the luxury to babble curses at the guard who had probably so incompetently left a hole in the sack to punch through.

Fortunately, no one was blaming him just yet. He didn’t want to give them the opening either. The matter at hand was time sensitive. If Hange wasn’t dead, she might still be flickering between life and death at the moment. He had to get to where she was soon.

He murmured a few words at the guard about wanting to check something and about them being able to go ahead and slowly walked away. Levi couldn’t run just yet, not when he was still within their field of view. To compensate though, his heart and his mind were racing. As he turned the corner and into the path which led to the cove and eventually to the sea cave, he was more quickly able to adjust to a sprint.

Levi had mentally readied himself to dive into the water even before he entered the cave. He had started to unbutton his own cotton shirt as he sprinted in, not wanting to waste any more time.

The rush and the panic that was only consuming him made him clumsy and a little awkward as he moved. The moment his plans and his expectations were subverted by the sight of a very wet and bloodied Hange kneeling on the ground next to the water, Levi ended up losing his balance and tripping on the floor right in front of her.

“You made it here alive… I was worried.” Levi managed to say as he pulled himself back up into a kneeling position. His knees and palms were starting to hurt and Levi was sure he would need to treat his own wounds a little later on.

“Yeah, I ended up cutting my wrist when I cut through the ropes...It bled out a lot but I never really was as coordinated as you are with knives... Sorry for putting that training you gave me to waste." Hange was only rambling aimlessly. As Levi made eye contact with her, he noticed her eyes were still a little too wide and her smile too unnatural. Levi could not help but think that she had felt the same way he did when he had first arrived in that same cave a few nights before. Her face had shown it all. She was just as surprised to be alive as he was.

 _But she is alive. That’s all that mattered._ Levi would have wanted to hug her then but at the same time he did not want to lose sight of her. He settled for putting his hand on her arm and gripped hard. “At this point Hange, I don’t care if you’re a fucking witch or not. If you are, save yourself. Run away. Go save some other kids. Go discover a plague before it happens. You don't deserve this. Nobody deserves the shit they put you through. I’ll get you out of here if I need to.”

Hange returned his strong grip on her arm by gripping his wrist. For a second, her face was unreadable. Then soon after something took over and that face had morphed into something wild and even primitive. It was as if Hange was possessed. Suddenly she was squeezing his wrist much harder than Levi had ever expected from her. He let out a groan of pain as he recoiled at the sudden attack.

Hange threw his hand back at him and snarled. "Don’t touch me!"

And just like that, it was as if he was talking to a completely different person. Or a completely different creature.


	4. Chapter 4

For the first time, Levi actually spat out tea Hange had served. “What the fuck is this?”

If it were any other tea, he probably would have regretted it. He didn’t even think the liquid she had served was tea though and he almost felt satisfied to have given it such a fitting end. Sure, it did have the flowery scent and maybe even a little fruit. It was just a little too strong though and a lot of the tastes just didn’t mix too well. Levi even questioned if it was even supposed to be drank

Hange gave him a wry smile. “Yeah, so you did notice… I was hoping if I washed the kettle enough the smell would disappear.”

Something dawned on Levi though. Knowing Hange, there was only one explanation for the odd taste of the kettle. “Why the _hell_ are you using kitchenware for experiments?” Levi only felt a little guilty a second after when he saw Hange wince at that swear word.

"I needed a point of comparison,” Hange answered matter-of-factly.

A part of him was self aware that maybe he was a little too angry about the wasted tea. It was tea after all, a luxury and one of the few simple joys Levi looked forward to everyday and the taste of that one cup, had definitely ruined his mood for the next hour. “For what?” Levi managed to say, not allowing himself to say anymore, for fear of saying something he would regret.

“Well, it wasn’t for nothing for sure…” Hange started. Levi did not need to prompt her. If it really was interesting to her, she would ramble endlessly on it unprompted. And that was she did for the next few minutes. “So to cut a long story short. If it’s just boiling water, it starts bubbling within a few minutes. But some of the oils I was able to make from the herbs take hours to start bubbling and even days to evaporate." 

“So what?”

“I think that’s an important piece of knowledge.” Hange defended.

“As long as you know all liquids boil eventually, I don’t think you need to. Give me one situation where you actually need to know what evaporates faster. Why would you need to know how long it will take?”

Hange paused for a second. “At least I’ll know how long I have to wait.”

* * *

Levi finally got the two week-long vacation he deserved.

He probably could have gotten it anytime of the year, having been an exemplary soldier and the pride of the army. It just never seemed worth it when there were always witches to interrogate and trials to watch.

For the first time since he joined the army though, Levi saw worth in it. He saw it in the long trek to his hometown and the long trek back. He saw it in the week-long stretch before Hange was to be executed in a trial by fire. If the officials and the clergymen had thought about it, they may have realized how odd it would be for the officer in charge of the trials of Hange Zoe to take a week off in the days counting down until her execution.

 _They were a little too trusting._ That was a card Levi had on his side and he was determined not to waste it.

As he made his way through the familiar rolling hills, which he was certain was less than a day’s ride to the cabin he had lived in long ago, he allowed himself a few minutes to reflect on that special card on his side. It was Hange’s sharpness and quickwittedness which had made it so easy for him to deal that card in the first place.

Back in the cave, Levi had been too distracted and maybe a little too emotional to have noticed that he was being followed.

_Don’t touch me!_

Hange’s out-of-character snarl and the way she had recoiled from his touch had made it easier for the guard to interpret the situation as something different.

Levi wasn’t a traitor conniving with a suspected witch. To the guard and to the many people who had heard of his deeds soon after, Levi was a soldier sharp enough to have known that there was a cave connected to the sea and to have hypothesized that just maybe, Hange had escaped there.

That great escape only further confirmed their suspicions. Hange definitely was a witch. And she was due to be burned at stake soon.

 _Soon._ That was where the urgency came. The urgency that had Levi galloping through the rolling hills, risking a painful fall or even death to get what he needed from that cabin in the woods.

That trek should have taken three days but having given up food, water, safety, and the comfort of a relaxing ride, Levi made it there in a day.

* * *

It could have been the particular tea mix of that day, the beautiful clear weather or the lack of aches in his joints. Regardless, it manifested in that particularly good mood Levi was in that day. “I think your herb mixing skills are actually improving,” he said. Surprisingly, he was the one breaking one of their bouts of silence in between conversations that day.

Hange blushed. “What? You think so?”

“Well, remember that poultice you gave me. The green oil one for body aches.”

“There are different types of green oils”

“The one you gave me last night.”

“I gave you a lot.” Hange cocked her head to the side, looking deep in thought. “Try to describe the smell.”

“The smell? How am I gonna describe a scent?” He knew Hange would have been better at describing them since she knew the names of all the herbs in the garden. Levi on the other hand, only had the names of the primary and secondary colors and the basic shapes to describe things with. He had a sharp sense of smell and could recall most scents by memory. Articulating and describing them were a completely different story.

Hange wagged her finger at him. “Don’t underestimate your sense of smell,” she sang playfully. “To be honest, I think picking something by scent might even be more accurate if you try to articulate yourself. I have probably ten green potions lying around there.”

“I can describe it by shade.”

“There are only so many shades the average person could pick out and a much lower number of shades of what would be natural for potions.”

“Then why don’t you just take them out and I’ll tell you which one it is?”

“No. I wanna play a game. Describe the smell.”

“Fine. It’s like a mix between a fruit and an herb. When I smelled it, it felt...cold.” Levi had kept his explanation simple hoping finally she would give up and just line up the green medicines on the table for him to pick up.

Hange paused for a second and stared at nothing, looking to be deep in thought. She snapped her fingers. “Oh, that one. She opened her cupboard and from his angle Levi could see that she had reached for the top shelf and took a quick look at something inside.” She turned to him and smiled.“I think I know what you’re talking about. It’s still a work in progress so thanks for the feedback.. At least I know it’s actually working well.” She settled on the chair in front of him.

 _And she was still smiling._ Her cheeks were still a bright shade of pink. A happy shade of pink.

“Why are you still smiling?”

“You know, I think this is the first time you’ve ever complimented me.”

* * *

_On the top shelf._ That was all Hange had told him.

As he neared the cabin, he was reminded that he still had his doubts about how good the instructions were. When he entered the musty cabin though, he started to understand why she was not too nervous at having kept her instructions so simple.

She had said it in a rush before they brought her in for more interrogation. He had no time for anything else, having spent most of the time in the black market, coordinating with transporters to find Hange a safe way out of the city.

The cabin was musty. The windows probably hadn’t been opened since Hange was arrested and the smell of herbs that wafted through the air, although they remained, reminded Levi of stale bread.

The smell wasn’t something he wanted to give a passing thought to. He opened the windows as soon as he arrived and forced himself to forget the mustiness by focusing elsewhere.

It was easy to distract himself. All he needed to do was take in the sight of the room and indulge that feeling of nostalgia that followed. The room was organized the same way as he had last left it, save for an extra bed on the side, possibly for patients and Levi only needed two pieces of information to figure out the meaning of Hange’s instructions.

 _It’s a piece of medicine. It’s on the top shelf._ The cupboards were lined up in a way that the lower shelves were decorated with different bottles while the upper shelves were decorated with pieces of cloth, some equipment. It was Levi who had suggested she decorate it that way years ago, so it would not be too hard to remove bottles if she needed to dig for something towards the back.

 _It’s onthe top shelf._ Although he did know his way around the cabin, he did not know his way around the top shelf. Having never been tall enough to see its contents without the help of a platform or stool. A disadvantage he had never wanted to acknowledge.

For the first time though, Levi had to acknowledge his below average height to get things done. He placed a stool in front of the cupboard and stood on it. The shelf extended all the way to both sides of the square cabin. The platform though gave him enough view of both ends. Just like he had remembered from the occasional peek at Hange opening keyboards, he did see the equipment from mortars and pestles to iron rods to iron clamps and glassware. For a second, he wondered how he would be able to find the bottle of oil she was talking about.

He had made the better decision though of opening all the cupboards and checking the top shelves. The top shelf of one of the last cupboards he checked was empty save for one bottle towards the back of the shelf. He probably wouldn’t even have noticed it if he did not feel for any contents towards the back of the cupboards.

There was no label. It was the only one there. Hange though was the bare minimum of organized and Levi was sure it was just like Hange to not put a label though if it were the only bottle in an empty top shelf.

There was a small note on parchment paper under the bottle. Levi pulled it out along with the bottle. He jumped off the stool and placed the bottle on the table near the cupboard where they used to share stories over tea so many years ago.

For some reason, touching the table was enough for that wave of nostalgia to morph into something else, possibly sadness or loneliness, a reminder that the happy conversations over tea he had enjoyed years ago were long gone. It was enough for him to need to sit down and just breathe before doing anything else. As he relished the short reprieve he had allowed himself, he examined the unlabeled bottle. It had gathered dust, just like the wooden table, the bed on the corner and the small makeshift kitchen and workshop.

Levi felt a sense of duty to at least clean what he could and found himself wiping the dustiest thing close to him --- the glass bottle with the oil. The contents only became more recognizable as he cleared the dust. It was a yellow transparent and viscous liquid, typical and expected of an ointment or oil.

Hange had told him long ago, the scent could tell a person what something is more than its appearance.

_There are only so many shades the average person could pick out and a much lower number of shades of what would be natural for potions._

_Don’t underestimate your sense of smell._

Sitting on the table where she had said it long ago, he recalled those words so clearly it was as if he could hear it again. And maybe she was right.

The scent wafted out of the bottle as soon as Levi opened it.

As fruity and as flowery as he always expected it to be. As he put it closer to his nose, he felt the unnatural chill that rushed through his nostrils and quickly chilled his whole body. It was a warm day in spring but Levi found himself shivering for a moment.

He opened the note he had left on the table. It wasn’t a label but by then, he was certain he didn’t need one. The scent had told him enough.

 _For Levi, when he comes home._ That was all the note said.

* * *

Although Levi had been able to sneak her the oil she had needed, Levi wasn’t there to escort her to the pyre.

 _A two week leave._ Or so that was what he had applied for.

Many of the people around had clocked it to a much needed break since he had exhausted all his mental power, trying to stay one step ahead of the cunning and wit of Hange Zoe. It was only expected that Levi took that two week leave to go back to his hometown. Too many have seen him exit the main gate of the walled capital. Levi though was only there for three days tops. He had reentered the city again through subtler means.

A few days before the execution, Levi was once again within the city walls, navigating the dark alleys, the slums and the underground market that snaked through them, learning of the slave trade, the human trafficking trade and the logistics of transporting fugitives out of the capitol and ideally the country.

Hange was no slave though. On top of making sure she did have a sure way out of the country, he wanted to make sure she got out in one piece.

The logistics of sneaking someone safely out of the city was complex and painstaking. He was finding a way to break a high profile prisoner out of her cell. He might only have one chance at it and he needed to make sure the trip out of the city was as smooth as possible. Hange was not someone he would have been comfortable leaving with the run of the mill trafficker or drug lord.

_He needed more time._

They just needed to buy time. It was Erwin who had made the plan, that risky plan that took advantage of both the eagerness of the higher ups to execute her in some grand festivity and the boiling point of one of the concoctions Hange herself had been so familiar with. It was Hange who considered how it should be executed.

The area where she was to be burned was already burning. The mixture of wood and hay had been laid in and spread around the lot save for a path to the center where Hange was to stand while the flames consume her.

A beautiful spectacle approved by those with power who valued aesthetic over practicality. In fact, so beautiful of a spectacle and so politically motivated that there were notably many more platforms and seats reserved for noblemen, plutocrats and religious authorities.

 _And that’s what we’re going to give them now._ Levi had blended into the crowd that gathered on the main square. He kept himself invisible a few rows back but still near enough to the center to witness the execution.

A bishop stepped up on the platform at the center, recounting her crimes while the people quietly listened, save for a few murmurs among the crowd.

“Witch, you have been tried and convicted under the benevolent will of God. You are a consort of Satan and shall burn at the stake. Repent now and God may have mercy on your soul. Fail to repent and you shall writhe on that stake just as you shall writhe for eternity in the pits of Hell!” The bishop waved a cross in front of Hange but the latter didn't even flinch.

Hange was silent, unmoving only looking forward at nothing. She did not cry desperately or squirm under ropes. She did not curse the gods or attempt to resist the arm the cuffs that held her close to a guard. That was one reason why Erwin and Levi were so easily able to convince the higher ups to allow her a more unconventional burning at stake.

The other more blatant reason was the fact that she had escaped the swimming test a little too well. Everyone who had witnessed it were more than convinced she was a witch. And if they cemented it then. Maybe, just maybe Levi could keep the people’s guards up, keep them planning a magic proof way to execute her and push back another execution a few weeks back while he finds a way to get her out of the city

 _That witch is dangerous. I have witnessed her magic. You cannot bound her._ A piece of bullshit which Levi had proposed to the clergymen when they had asked his opinion on her execution.

_What if she refuses to walk into the flames?_

_Then we push her in._ Levi was sure though that she would walk in. He had prepared the coal himself the night before. The coal at that moment glowed a light orange on the ground illuminating her path to the center of the pyre.

Levi could not tell from where he was standing the exact moment Hange had started walking towards the center. He could hear from the gasps though and the screams of ‘witch’ that people were seeing something arcane.

Levi violently pushed his way through the front of the crowd. Before he had even noticed it, he had stopped in front when he finally got a good look at Hange from head to toe. She calmly walked towards the center of the pyre barefoot, barefoot on the path that glowed with flames and embers.

_It wasn’t over yet._

Hange turned towards the audience and for a second she had made eye contact with Levi. Her face stayed serious though, her expression unperturbed by the flames around her. She put a hand into the flame that was almost burning high enough to be the same height as an adult human. This gesture elicited more gasps from the audience.

Levi found himself unable to look away. Hange brought her hand out quickly from the flame and with it, she had a part of the flame burning in her hand.

For a few seconds she held the flame in front of a crowd, her expression unchanging. The flame danced on her palm, like a cursed pet, a spawn of the devil. With it, Levi was starting to smell it again, the faint yet distinct mix of fruits and flowers that had kept him company his years in the battlefield, that kept him looking back at Hange Zoe. The scent kept him staring and only complemented the eerie smile on Hange’s face that crept up her lips.

 _Maybe I am bewitched._ Levi’s blood ran cold and he had to admit that at that exact moment, Hange might have actually been a witch.

That scene only lasted a few seconds before Hange shook her hand and the flame died out. The scene was still long enough though to completely engrave itself into the heads of all those who watched.

 _Fire cannot touch the witch. We need to consider other execution methods._ Those were supposed to be Erwin’s lines. The lines that would convince the executioner to douse the flames and pull Hange out.

What none of them had failed to consider though was the extreme mass hysteria that could have been caused by such a simple magic trick.

The crowds exploded into screams of terror. Others were running away from the pyre while others were cheering at the executioner to find a way to kill her faster.

Hange too had dropped her facade of complete calm. She was starting to walk away from the flames and out into the safe open space where the crowds were starting to disperse.

Everything was happening all at once. For a moment, all he could see were the people rushing through and the crowds. All he could hear were the screams of the people, accusations of witch. And somewhere in the air, he smelled it, the faint yet distinct mixture of fruits and flowers was there but something else was joining the scent. Another smell Levi knew too well. Something was burning and Levi had to act fast.

Levi pushed at the crowd and up to the front to see the executioner pushing Hange back into the ember trodden path. He saw the barrel of gunpowder and the three guards that were hauling towards the pyre and Hange who was painfully trying to keep her balance on the fiery path beneath her.

Levi only had a second to act. At that moment, something possessed him.

* * *

“Then go for the neck. Like this!”

For the fifth time that day, Levi found himself on the ground while his uncle’s saxe knife was pressed to his throat, almost close enough to draw blood. “But they might die.” Levi managed to say.

Kenny sighed. “Kid, you’re gonna have to kill _one day._ ”

“But I’d rather not. Mom wouldn’t have wanted it.” Levi carefully pushed himself back up to a standing position, keeping his eyes trained on his uncle who would sometimes pounce in surprise when the young boy’s guard was low.

Kenny twirled the knife on his head and looked. “Kuchel is dead and you have to learn to fend for yourself.”

“There must be a way to fight without killing.”

“There is. You can knock out a man by hitting that same artery. Like this.” Kenny tapped at the place where he had pressed his knife only a second ago. “But I’m not gonna spend my time teaching you how to be a softie. I’d rather you kill when you need to. If you hesitate, you might end up just like your mother.”

The scar of having lost his mother only that year hadn’t completed healed just yet. Levi found himself biting back tears at the fate that awaited him, an isolated life in a cabin and brutal training with his uncle, learning how to kill.

Or as his uncle had defined it. _Self defense._ Somehow Levi wasn’t convinced.

Kenny sighed. “Levi, what would you do if you ran into the witch that started the plague? Knock them out and run away?”

* * *

“This is as far as I go. Just go straight there and pass the mountain and you’re out of our territory.”

That was the first thing Erwin said since they had started their long trek down south. They had been riding for more than a day and at that rate, they were both confident that no one would be near enough to hear any of their conversations. Even if they did, Levi would be long gone past the mountain by then and Erwin could easily feign having gotten lost on the way to some village.

“You’ll take care of her right?” Levi asked. She was the first thing that came to mind when Levi found himself brought back to reality by Erwin’s voice. He noticed soon after though that she had never left his mind.

“Leave her to me. I’ll take care of her.” Erwin assured. “You’ve done more than enough already.”

“I wish I could have taken her with me.”

“With her injuries, she might not even make the journey,” Erwin said.

Back at the cave where Levi hid after the incident at the capital, Erwin had recounted her injuries, minor burns to her feet, a few deeper burns on her hands and a major burn on her lower back having been pushed back by the executioner into the ember trodden pyre. Somewhere along the way, she had also passed out from suffocation.

The last time Levi had seen her she was face down on the ground next to the pyre right after Levi had jumped in to pull her out.

The executioner and the guards were quick to attack, ready to kill the intruder. With the amount of power concentrated in the square that day, there were more guards to subdue than usual. Then, it reminded Levi of the war he fought years ago. It could have been worse though, back in the war, he at least had allies. Back in the square as he jumped in to pull Hange out, he was faced with the prospect of dozens, maybe fifty or even a hundred soldiers, all focused on taking him out.

Levi though was still much quicker, so quick that he had found it difficult to even control himself. He had gone into survival mode with his only weapon then, his saxe knife.

It was Erwin who had pulled him out of trance then. That awakening came as a tap on the shoulder and an urgent order to take advantage of the chaos and run away. Levi was still in his civilian wear and in the plain cloak which made it easy enough for him to pull it over his head and blend in with the panicked crowd.

By then though the damage had been done. Through fighting instinct alone, Levi had snuffed out any attempt to harm the unconscious woman next to the pyre which had resulted in the death of most if not all the soldiers, a few clergymen and a few nobles

Levi could not bring himself to murder anyone in the crowd though and consequently, they were left with witnesses.

When they had met clandestinely in the cave a few days after the incident, Erwin recounted both the testimonies and his own experience. They described his movements as too quick to have been both natural or mortal.

By some miracle of crowd mentality and mental conditioning, the fifty or even a hundred witnesses in the crowd had concluded for themselves that it was Levi who was practicing witchcraft. With some clever manipulation of his own testimony on the chaos of that day, Erwin had managed to paint Hange as a victim manipulated by witchcraft. She was unconscious throughout the whole fiasco after all.

All efforts were then turned towards finding the rogue soldier Levi who had manipulated the events which ended with a poor innocent woman being burned at stake. Suddenly, he was a wanted man for possible heresy, treason and witchcraft and was sure to receive the capital punishment.

 _If they caught him._ Levi found himself with no choice but to leave.

“Erwin, do you think I practice witchcraft?” Levi asked as he turned his horse towards the direction of the mountain path.

“I told you before. I don’t believe in magic.”

“How can people so easily conclude for themselves then that what happened in the square was magic?” Levi asked. He had worked with Erwin enough to know that the blonde did have a way with words, enough to have manipulated others before.

 _Erwin always needed some basis for manipulation. How could he have convinced a crowd to believe that it was witchcraft?_ Levi had enough time on his own to have reflected on it already. The crowd then was terrified and confused. He had probably murdered a number of people after all.

 _But to conclude it to be witchcraft? To make it possible for Erwin to convince many others that he had been behind it all along?_ “I murdered them. I can say that much. But to accuse me of witchcraft is unsettling.”

“People only believe what they can see. From where I stood, I had a good view of you Levi, or at least as good of a view as you allowed me. You were fast, too fast that even I questioned whether or not you were a trick of the light.” Erwin started. “I’ve seen many things but that was my first time seeing something like that and I was sure it was the first time seeing something like that for most of the audience. People won’t accurately remember a scene they can barely comprehend. In fact, you can even prey on those uncertainties and create a story of your own. Many saw you kill but not many saw you defending Hange. It was easy to make her just as much of a victim as everyone else, especially with her injuries. Crowd thinking _is_ a curious thing.”

“But you don’t believe that something like that could be magic?” Levi asked.

“I think the idea of magic and witchcraft is just an excuse for those too lazy to dig deeper. Most priests just attribute unfortunate events to the work of the devil or to a poor victim which they will just hang then. They then forget about this and drink their merry way until the next plague or drought comes then they find another scapegoat. And the cycle just continues….I don’t believe though that any of these phenomena can be so easily attributed to one person or to the work of the devil. There must be a logical explanation behind everything. What if those bouts of ‘magic’ are just part of how the natural world works? And we just need to dig deeper into these phenomena to find out why they happen?”

Levi only continued to listen.

And Hange…” Erwin let out a breath and looked up at the sky above him. “Her research and analysis skills are commendable. She had theories about invisible particles in the air, about the special properties of certain chemicals. She exhibited an impressive amount of knowledge about how the world works and had the deduction skills to compliment. Maybe that’s why she was such a skilled apothecarist. She’s ahead of our time and that’s what made her such an easy victim?”

 _Ahead of our time?_ “An easy victim?.”

“We live in a society which rejects what is deemed unconventional or unfamiliar. The village people who turned on Hange for example, instead of asking Hange themselves why she was able to do what she did. They accused her of witchcraft, just like they did to the victims before her. It should have been expected though. Many people naturally fear what they cannot comprehend especially when we have religious leaders boring into our heads that anything unexplained is the work of the devil.”

“Do you believe Hange’s actions are comprehensible?”

“I asked Hange myself. She explained everything. If I needed to, I’m sure I could have reproduced a lot of what she did if she guided me through the processes..” Erwin lowered his gaze towards the ground. “I can’t help but think, maybe if we lived in a more open society, this type of discourse and research might actually be helpful. If more people were informed and could easily discuss this among themselves, we could probably find ways to avoid plagues before they happen, cure more illnesses and improve the lives for many people through discoveries and inventions.”

_Hange is ahead of our time. An extraordinary person, born into a society that rejects the extraordinary. Maybe the same could be said for you too._

Levi found himself taking up a lot of energy just resisting the temptation to turn back the way he had came. Even as the clip-clop of horse hooves only got softer as Erwin disappeared into the night, Levi found himself considering the risk of getting lost or worse arrested if he decided to turn back and follow Erwin.

In the capital though, the only thing that awaited him was death. At least his survival instincts were enough to recognize that much. That was enough to spur Levi on.

The next morning, when the remaining nobles reconvened their meeting on the mysterious murder of the clergymen, the nobles and the guards at the town square, their main suspect was long gone.

Levi had already disappeared into the mountains and into the night. 


	5. Chapter 5

Levi was not one to underestimate the powers of pubs particularly the ones strategically placed on crossroads. Being a place where people relaxed after a long day, a place that prided itself in being constantly changing and completely unpredictable, it was an oasis of both free flowing drinks and free flowing information.

Levi was there for the latter.

From there, he figured out the whereabouts of his uncle overtime. _Kenny the Ripper._ An assassin for hire who travelled through the southern lands taking down both drug lords and nobles for a fee. He had grown up with the man and had been trained with the bow and arrow and the knives. Kenny the Ripper described in the stories could not be anyone else.

Spending his nights there, he had also figured out the relatively backward society of his homeland especially when compared to the land down south. Witchcraft was something more feared in the cities and towns up north, possibly due to the characteristic religiousness that came with their culture. It could have possibly been due to the amount of power given to the religious authorities in his own country as well.

Five years into his exile Levi had settled for frequenting a pub located on a crossroad, a week’s journey away from the mountain path where he and Erwin had separated more than a decade back. Although he had learned a new language, new customs and adapted a new name, Levi never did forget his life up north. His nights were still haunted by the dreams of Hange on the pyre and the lives he had taken in a frenzy.

Sometimes his dreams were merciful and he would find himself back in the cabin so many years ago listening to rambles over tea. Even the happy dreams though left Levi a bit teary-eyed as he would yearn for the life he lived long ago. In the end though, he started to realize he just wanted to see Hange again.

_Hange is ahead of our time. An extraordinary person, born into a society that rejects the extraordinary._ Erwin’s words would echo in his head as he lay awake at night. With nothing much else to ponder alone in a dark room at night, Levi found himself worrying about her. Was she sleeping well? Eating well? Had Erwin failed to defend her at court? Was she still able to practice her crazy experiments and mess up some kitchenware in the process?

There were only two ways to find answers. He could go back to the capital and risk death. Or he could strategically frequent pubs for information. The realist in Levi that had only grown a little more influential over the years compelled him to decide on the latter.

The pieces of information Levi had gotten came in small words and sentences, comments and opinions. It required him to piece available information together while settling contradictions that surfaced by gathering more information. He rarely asked anyone directly, saving those cards for when he really needed them. He could still have been a high profile criminal and he risked being recognized and thus, would usually settle for listening in an inconspicuous corner of the pub.

With all the cards lined up against him, Levi was only able to complete the puzzle a decade later. The last piece came one night when a messenger came in to announce the abdication of the crown and the pub exploded into cheers.

“Who’s the new ruling family?”

“The noble family Reiss will be taking the throne.”

A transfer of power was always big news. As Levi listened, he realized he wasn’t too surprised. Among the information he had gotten from his nights in the pub, he had heard of power vacuums and civil unrest which all resulted from a mysterious tragedy decades ago when the nobles had attempted to burn a witch at stake. The theories that had stemmed from that incident with time had made their way to the countries down south.

_The devil had rejected the current ruling class._ The religious theorized.

_The empty seats of power only made it easier for their enemies to usurp._ The more secular supporters inferred.

The shift in power dynamics and the fear and unrest among the working class only made it more difficult for the church and the remaining nobility to clamp down on their poor. The decade long political battle culminated into a usurpation of the throne and the reinstallment of a noble family with more secular views and a more blatant distrust on the church and its influence.

_Secular views?_ Levi was sure Erwin was involved. He had felt it then, at the foot of the moment before he had crossed the border, as Erwin recounted his own views on their society. He also knew Erwin would not have taken something as heavy and political as the usurpation of a throne lightly.

Somehow, he felt a weight disappear off his shoulders when others had started to discuss the crimes of the church and their own doubts about religion forced onto them. Was the world Erwin was talking about actually coming?

Levi was aware that he was still a wanted criminal. With the change in power and the possible changes in the society that were bound to follow though, he deemed the risk of entering the country in his current state worth taking.

He decided to go home.

* * *

“I knew you’d be back.” Erwin broke the silence in the room.

Levi had entered the city quietly many times before and had managed to avoid attention from many of its inhabitants. He never did figure out whether it was because everyone had forgotten the face of the rogue soldier from the incident a decade ago or because he had just assimilated into the crowds too well.

He had entered Erwin’s office through the window his superior had always left open, intending to wait for the right moment to speak. It turned out Erwin had noticed him first, even behind the shadows.

“How long has it been?” Levi asked. It was just like Erwin to keep a close eye on the shadows.

“Ten years since we last met. Two years since the Reiss family took the throne.” Erwin answered. Two answers for one question.

The journey back to the capital had taken Levi a few weeks give or take. He had lost count of the days, having been too focused on getting back as soon as he could while avoiding attention. “Has anything changed since then?” Levi asked. He knew two years was a long time, enough for some major changes to happen.

“We haven’t had witch trials in years. The nobles and the church had been too busy fighting. But the Reiss family is working to ban witch trials completely. They have plans of drafting a magna carta based on those created by the countries down south so it looks like we might actually be transitioning into a new era.”

“That’s good.” There was not much to say. He knew at least that those two words were genuine.

“I’m surprised you haven’t asked about her yet.”

When Erwin had pointed it out, Levi became a little more self aware and consequently, surprised that she hadn’t been the first thing he had asked about. Maybe he had just been a little too surprised at how the city had changed. It had become a little cleaner. It harbored an atmosphere of hope more than an atmosphere of fear. When he first entered Erwin’s room, he had also noticed there were two new bookshelves filled to the brim with books. His desk and chair were both gone and in that corner, a cupboard lay instead. As Levi figured out soon enough, it was filled with books and documents as well.

For a second, he might have forgotten about her. Or maybe he hadn’t. As he further reflected on his thoughts, he realized he was thinking about her. His thoughts of her lay in the hope that had bubbled through him as he navigated his way through the city. That subtle reminder that she probably would have enjoyed the conversations he had overheard among the townspeople --- political speculations and the occasional scientific speculations on strategic farming methods and healing methods. He had allowed himself a few seconds to consider as well the coming of a new era, an age where people like Hange could thrive. And possibly that was what had led to that instinctive first question.

“She must be alive then if you’re so eager to talk about her.” _Is she alive?_ Levi had phrased his question as a statement, as if it could erase all doubts that she could have died in his ten years away from home.

“We keep in touch. Sometimes she visits.”

Levi needed a second to recover from that strong wave of relief that rushed through him. He only noticed his hand was shaking when he brought it up to his eyes to catch any tears that might make their way out he tried to bite them all back. Erwin did not comment on that at least.

“You should go see her. She asks about you every time.”

“What do you say when she asks?”

Erwin shook his head. “I didn’t know where you were. What else could I say? I think she’s sharp enough to tell though that you were the witch--- the rogue soldier everyone was talking about.”

“Do people still talk about it? The incident ten years ago? The rogue soldier?”

Erwin shook his head. “With your actions, all you’ve done is make the usurpation of the throne possible. I don’t think anyone is in a hurry to arrest you now.” He gave Levi a wry smile. “Maybe they’ll even treat you to dinner.”

It was an attempt at humor. Both men silently agreed that the best option would still be to remain low key. Even if Levi weren’t a witch, he was still a murderer after all.

In the end he didn’t mind. It felt like he had lived a lifetime already in those past twenty years. He was raring to see Hange. As he rode up north though, he made no deliberate effort to go faster.

Seeing the familiar landscape along the familiar road to his hometown was a constant reminder that he was on his way home. His body had probably taken that as a sign to prepare him for rest and twenty years worth of aches and fatigue made itself known to him gradually over the long ride.

It was only through those discomforts did he realize he never did have a place to call home the past ten years, having taken odd jobs, having jumped from inn to inn and pub to pub.

The forest where the old cabin he grew up in was on the way to the village and just like always, a five minute ride away, he was sure he would find Hange’s old cabin-turned-apothecary. His cabin stood a little older than the trees around it. Levi had to note that the green that surrounded the cabin, framing it as if it were only a painting, were as green and as fresh as they looked decades ago.

Nature is timeless. Levi found himself admiring it while reminiscing about his childhood. The trees around him and the grass below served as a time capsule.

And it was a time capsule he was eager to open. He dismounted his horse, wanting to feel the grass beneath him as he walked.

He closed his eyes as he walked. With that, he was able to pretend he was a kid again, practicing the art of sneaking while Kenny was away. He let out a quiet laugh in the form of a playful smile and a tiny exhale as he imagined how he had been much noisier as he moved through the taller grass years ago.

_Oh, how times have changed._ A mocking comment aimed towards the younger self that resided within him.

The large field of grass he silently navigated through should have led to the beginnings of Hange's herb garden. The long weeds around him though opened up to a large tract of land of only bare soil.

That was what snapped Levi out of his trance. For a second, he had assumed that he had taken the wrong path. He wished that were the reason. He was about to look back and retrace his steps when he noticed the cabin at the end of the yards of bare soil in front of him.

_Hange’s cabin._ With that, he was pulled further and further out of his daydream and into the reality in front of him. He wasn't a kid. In fact, he was already a good number of years past thirty.

_It's been 20 years. Of course the world would have changed._ He at least attempted to reassure himself. Words were far from reassuring though, overshadowed by the fact that the cabin in front of him looked abandoned, the fields around him bare.

He could have sworn there were rows and rows of herbs there only a decade before. He left his horse out and rushed into the cabin. The dark was easily broken open. In fact as he had pushed it in, it fell out of its hinges.

_Hange would have gotten mad if she were here._

_If she still lived here._ The beds, the table and the kitchen were just like he had last seen it years ago. In fact, they looked to be in a worse state. Levi felt his heart drop as he saw them abandoned and worn. It was impossible to reminisce given the state of the cabin. Or maybe it was impossible because of the state of his mind then. His mind was grappling for answers.

He found lightly jumping on the stool, ignoring the creaks of protest from the chair below him, surveying the contents of all the dilapidated shelves around the room. They were all empty from top to bottom.

“Where’s Hange?” He had said it aloud. A part of him somehow believed someone would answer yet all he received in return were weak echoes. 

Erwin did not give him an exact address when Levi had met him in the capital. He had mentioned sending the letters to the post office on the square was more than enough. A messenger would send it to Hange and Erwin still got his replies. Hange was always the one who visited the capital so there was never any need to know her exact address.

There was another question Levi should have asked though. _How long had it been since Erwin had last talked to her?_

Levi ended up scolding himself for not even asking such an important question. Levi mounted his horse and galloped towards the direction of the village. His body continued to protest the rough movements of the gallop on his battered body since he had been riding for a lot more than a day already.

He treated the pain and a discomfort though as a punishment. _A punishment for so carelessly assuming she would be okay._

His next stop was the center of town, or maybe the pub. Like always, that was the best place to get questions answered. Levi rode quickly, ignoring the houses that dotted the fields that only became more and more frequent as he followed the path.

There were more houses than before. There were more children playing outside. He could hear it in the laughters and the voices that somehow made their way to his ears despite the loud galloping from underneath him. He chose to ignore all of them.

Only one thing would make him stop. Only Hange.

Or any sign at least to where she might be. And as he neared the village, the sign made itself known as the distinct scent that carried too many memories.

Levi had the nose for it. He had smelled it too many times to know. If he had been a little more eloquent, maybe he would have even been able to recount the journey it made, recount the way his mind processed the scent from the fruits to the flowers then to the cold wind that rushed up his nose despite it being a warm afternoon.

It only got stronger and stronger as he followed the path. He quickened his pace further until he reached the center of town where it was impossible to gallop without risking running someone over.

Somehow, the scent remained unyielding, despite the other stimuli threatening to overshadow it. As he rode through town, he kept his head down, relying instead on the cobblestone streets to lead him to the right direction. He could hear multiple conversations at once, not bothering to make sense of them. He stayed focused on the scent.

His other senses only got stronger as the scent got stronger though. Levi soon realized he was just getting more alert for any signs of where it was and how it would manifest itself then.

“Can you show me your magic again?”

“It’s not magic Anna... It’s just nature.”

_"_ Show me your nature trick then!"

"Fine, let's go back to the house. Not here where it's too crowded." 

He was hearing a hundred conversations at once but somehow, that conversation stood out. He had instinctively looked toward the general direction where he had heard them. It had taken him a few minutes to follow the voices, having kept a record of it engraved in his head. He recognized the voice and he found himself repeating that last sentence in his head as he scanned the crowd of people.

Levi though had instinctively settled for looking through the areas with larger crowds of people towards the center of town and maybe the main square. If he had been sharper about it, he probably would have traced the conversation to the garden on the little corner, at the back of what used to be the pub.

He had ended up wasting an hour more than necessary, the voice and the conversation long gone from his mind. He settled for going to the pub, or at least where he remembered it to be.

The pub of decades ago was replaced by a quaint house which could have been owned by anyone. It could have been from a sense of duty or a bout of nostalgia but somehow, Levi felt the need to investigate. He followed the narrow road which would lead him to the back of the pub, further spurred on by the scent that resurfaced as he got further away from the bustle of the town center. The narrow road opened up to green fields and as Levi soon realized, that green field was an the herb garden stretched for yards or maybe even hectares, much bigger than what he had stumble upon so many years ago. He had to note that the herbs had dividers. An oddly calming improvement.

“Watch.”

He turned around instinctively at the gasps of surprise. Hange was there and just like the many years ago, her hand was on fire.

_Her hand was on fire._ He would have panicked, if he didn’t see the way she had playfully smiled at the kids.

“Don’t try this at home.”

“But how did you do it?” One of the kids asked.

“I showed you before right? If you try to mix the oil and the water, the oil rises to the top. If I wet my hand like this…” She dipped her hand in a bowl and put it over the flame of the candle. “I can hold the fire.”

“Why isn’t it hot?”

“The water cools my skin and the fire has to make the oil evaporate before it reaches the water.”

“Can I try?” One of the children attempted to dip her hand into the mixture.

“No, not yet. You might get burned. I got burned the first time I tried it.”

That same child pouted then sighed in disappointment. “Can you do it again?”

Levi watched silently as she did the trick again. That same trick from ten years ago. She played with the flame of her hand, holding it like a pet the same way she had done ten years ago. and somehow, Levi realized her eerie smile then was the same smile she was giving the children then.

He had the luxury of time to observe her closely and carefully and as he realized soon enough, her smile was far from creepy. In fact, the smile she gave them was complemented by her eyes which held the same wonder he had seen them hold so many times before.

He could have sat on his horse all day just watching. In fact, he wanted to. He was also in too much pain to have been able to move from his spot.

The scent that wafted through the air was strong. Levi was very much certain then that it was that same scent he had been following the past few hours

Following the scent had only brought him back to her.

He didn’t know how long he had been sitting on the horse. Eventually though, Hange did notice he was there. He relished everything from the look of surprise she had given as she made eye contact with him, the way she would shake her head, look away then look back at him and the fact she had repeated that a comical number of times.

Levi couldn’t help but smile. He had done the same thing so many times before when faced with his own mirages, his own tricks of the eye fueled by the longing that had plagued him during his time in the south. He had seen too many tall brunettes that could have just been Hange if he didn’t look too closely.

Finally, when she was satisfied with the amount of times she had blinked and shook her head, she stood up from her stool and walked towards him.

“You can get off your horse now.”

It turned out all he needed to lose his inhibitions and collapse in exhaustion was any sign that she was near. Her voice and her touch were more than enough. He closed his eyes as he felt her arms around her.

_I’m home. I can rest._ How long since he had felt that?

_Teacher, who’s that?_

_An old friend._

_Really? Why are you blushing?_

He awoke again to that same scent. It wafted through the air but at the same time he could feel it as a cool wind soothing his aching joints. He couldn't help but be grateful that the ache had dulled though and as he took stock of the scents and the feelings on his joints, he started to understand why.

"You didn't really catch a rest huh? How long have you been on your horse?" Hange’s voice was distant.

As he looked to his side, he saw Hange on her work bench, looking focused on something. "Didn't count..." He answered.

She stood up from her place on the bench and settled on a chair by his bedside. “It's morning now. You slept for more than half a day."

“Maybe I did see the sun set then rise a few times,” Levi admitted. "The oil you were burning then, that’s the same thing you put on me?” He asked in an attempt to digress.

Hange nodded. "I use it a lot now,” she said.

"Why?"

"It’s useful....It makes a good fire and it smells so good I think of you." A second later, Hange blushed and looked away, possibly at the realization of what she had just said. “I mean I made it for you of course I’d think of you.”

Levi reached for her hand and lightly pulled it towards himself, willing her to look at him again. "I like the smell. Actually, I liked it so much I followed it here and it brought me to you." That was something he probably would have regretted saying any other day. At that moment though, his only goal was to placate the already flustered Hange in front of him.

His attempt looked to be somewhat successful. She still seemed a little unsure but the toothy grin she gave him was an improvement at least. "I told you before, don't underestimate your sense of smell." Hange leaned over on the bed next to him and with that the scent only got stronger.

With that, their faces were only a few inches away from each other and Levi suddenly felt the need to cover that small distance. His neck was protesting that action though. It turned out his body still ached from his long journey.

"So I guess it was a good idea that I burned the oil every night.” Hange chuckled. “It was a long shot but I thought maybe you'd recognize it."

"You assumed I’d be back?”

“I had faith we’d meet again.” As she said it Hange covered that distance and their two lips met in one natural yet magical kiss. So magical that Levi felt it consume him, and warm him up from his lips to the tips of his toes. It tickled his throat and as he pulled away, he ended up letting out that deep breath he didn’t even know he was holding in.

_All phenomena should have a scientific explanation. Hange has the analysis and deduction skills to figure them out._

Levi had wanted to ask here about it, about the way that kiss had shook him inside and out, leaving him giddy and almost shaking. He looked to her to see that she was also as surprised. She was blushing and not at all like she was in the mood to explain anything.

_Or maybe she didn’t have an explanation for it._ He thought as he saw the face she had made. Her eyes were wide and for a second, she was frozen on her spot before she quickly pulled away. _Then it must be magic?_

Logical reasoning brought him back to the conclusion that he had made so many times before. _Maybe she was a witch._

Even if she were though, he didn’t care. That glimmer of magic he had felt at that moment would be his little secret.

_Our little secret._ Levi was quick to correct himself. He was sure she had felt it too after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is very much appreciated!


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